17 Held in Raid of Day Labor Job Sites

Federal immigration agents raided three job sites in Placentia and Yorba Linda on Wednesday and detained 17 undocumented workers as part of an enforcement operation started in tandem with the State Contractors Board.

One of the day labor sites, where men customarily gather for pickup jobs, was about a block from an Anaheim apartment complex seriously damaged by fire 10 days ago. Many apartment residents, who are still piecing together their lives after the fire, panicked after seeing the raid and fled, some with their children.

John Brechtel, who supervised the operation, said no women or children were detained. All 17 men were being processed for deportation, he said. Brechtel said he did not know if any of the men lived in the apartment building.

“We were looking for workers at day labor sites, and all of the apprehensions were males,” he said. The raids occurred at the Tenaca Nursery in Yorba Linda and at two street corners on Orangethorpe Avenue in Placentia.

Brechtel said the work site investigation began in Los Angeles following the Northridge earthquake, and was prompted by complaints that unlicensed contractors were hiring illegal immigrants to perform repairs.

The investigation expanded to Orange County in February and has resulted in a series of raids since then, he said.